Agencies begin to get the feel of sensor technology

Expect more civilian agencies to embed sensors in objects ranging from buoys to waterways during the next year in response to rising environmental concerns and dropping prices for computer chips, a federal tech analyst said.

"What we are seeing in the market is a new generation of technology that is built around the idea that small, smart networked chips are cheap enough that you can put them anywhere," said Andrew Bartels, a vice president and principal analyst who specializes in federal information technology spending at Forrester Research.

For years U.S. military agencies have attached sensors to objects for security purposes, including tracking ammunition shipped to the Middle East. But now civilian agencies are starting to use the devices. Sensors rely on computer chips to monitor and communicate information about environmental conditions such as temperature and location.

The General Services Administration, for example, will use sensors to measure the energy efficiency of green buildings.

Federal contractors seem poised to take advantage of the trend. IBM has been promoting its smarter planet initiative, which infuses intelligence into roadways, power grids and water bodies. Earlier this month, the company announced it and Brazil invested in a research lab to study natural resources using remote sensor technology.

"The federal government to a certain extent has already been doing it in terms of national security and defense, but I think you'll see more of it in other agencies in terms of getting better intelligence," Bartels said.